Red Ink

October 28, 2009 - Robert "Bubba" Kapral

THE CAPITOL Theatre and WesBanco Arena were cited this week as losing money. Big deal. That is just the nature of the beast. For WesBanco, winter time will yield much more friendly and lucrative times for its coffers. Hockey and various holiday shows will transform that ink from red to black. Capitol Theatre, meanwhile, will lose money for a good while. It's a loss Wheeling can and will happily deal with. The Capitol Theatre was dead and buried for years. So its rebirth, while costly right now, should be welcomed with open arms by all involved. Too much time, money and care have been invested in the downtown landmark by countless people for it to be a longtime financial drain. Given time, the Capitol will more than carry its own financial weight. The Capitol will be one of the foundations which Wheeling officials will rely on to revitalize a city currently mired in doldrums.